Dreams of the Past and Future
by Zanzibar1
Summary: One Shot: Inuyasha dreams of a past that will never be due to Naraku's interference. His future lies elsewhere.


Dreams of the Past and Future

_Author's Note: This is a one shot. I'm not planning anymore chapters after this. Please review and let me know what you think!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters that you recognize from Inuyasha. _

The village was peaceful in the summer days. A gentle cool breeze swept through the trees and sent ripples across the calm bend of the river. the tall grass, parts starting to turn brown, swept in rippling waves like the waves of the ocean.

Resting in a low branch of a tree leaning against the trunk was Inuyasha. Soaking up the sun after helping out around the village all morning and afternoon. As the wind swept past his long, straight, black hair it blew it up alongside him.

"Inuyasha," a gentle feminine voice called up to him.

He sat up and looked down from the branch. He smiled recognizing the Priestess standing at the bottom of the tree with two children. He shifted so that both his legs were on one side. He dropped down to the ground in front of her.

"What do you need, Kikyo?"

"Could you watch the children while I make the round?" she requested with a smile in return.

The two children looked up at him excitedly.

"Come along Yoshiko, Tatsuma."

The girls left their mothers side and ran forward to their father.

Yoshiko had the same long black hair as her parents with the golden eyes that Inuyasha had possessed as a Half demon and still had presently.

Tatsuma had long black hair as well, but hers contained silver streaks through it. She had the same soft eyes of Kikyo.

Their appearances of the two girls had worried the parents at first believing that maybe some of Inuyasha's demon blood had been passed along despite being turned into a human by the Shikon only thing affected was their appearance, nothing else.

"Daddy, can we go to the forest and play hide and go seek?" Yoshiko asked.

Tatsuma's face lit up at the idea. "Can we? Please! Please! Pleeeeaaaassseeee!"

Inuyasha grinned at their enthusiasm. "Oh, why not. It sounds like a good idea. We'll be back before the sun starts to set."

Kikyo nodded smiling.

They parted as Kikyo went into the village to make her rounds of the village checking on those with ailments or injuries.

Inuyasha led his two daughters to the forest around the Sacred Tree and Bone Eater's Well.

As they reached the forest line the two girls ran off amongst the trees.

"Don't forget," Tatsuma shouted back, "to count to 20!"

Inuyasha chuckled and sat down at the tree line to count.

1... 2... 3...

_What would have happened to his life if he hadn't taken up Kikyo's offer all those years ago?_

10... 11... 12...

_Would he have left?_

14... 15... 16... 17...

_Would more demons have come after the jewel?_

19... 20...

Inuyasha turned around. He put his hands to his mouth. "Ready or not! Here I come!"

He heard giggles off in the distance and headed off in that general direction.

He wandered along peering around trees for signs of the girls.

A snap of a twig alerted him to the location of one of the girls. He changed direction to head around the tree she was behind. Sneaking around the tree to surprise his daughter. he caught her in a hug.

"Found you, Yoshiko," Inuyasha declared.

Yoshiko giggled in his grasp as he tickled her sides. He gently released her and smiled.

"Well, I found you. Now it's your sister's turn to be found," he stated.

Yoshiko jumped into the air in excitement. "I'll find her before you Daddy!"

Inuyasha chuckled at her declaration.

"We'll see about that," he answered.

Yoshiko giggled and ran off to find Tatsuma.

Inuasha turned his gaze to the sky. Once they found Tatsuma it would be just about time to head back home.

He began wandering around the forest waiting for a tell tale sign of his Tatsuma's hiding place.

A slight brush of leaves without wind was the only thing he heard calling his attention to the branches above.

He looked up to find Tatsuma moving from branch to branch as skillfully as a squirrel.

"I see you," Inuyasha sang out teasingly. "You should be careful up there."

Snapping twigs and crackling leaves warned him of Yoshiko's return as she ran in their direction.

"Dad! Have you found sister yet!"

Inuyasha nodded and pointed up, "Yep, she's above us in the tree branches."

Yoshiko looked up to spot her sister and gasped. "Tatsuma! How'd you get up there? You should be more careful! You could fall and hurt yourself!"

Tatsuma ignored her sister and agilely flipped into the air, landing in a roll coming to her feet before them.

"Tatsuma! You should really stop that!" Yoshiko scolded. "You could hurt yourself!"

Tatsuma smiled, "Oh you don't have to be a worry wart. I'm fine."

Inuyasha listened to the progressing arguement of the issue of Tatsuma's climbing

"Alright you two," he broke up the discussion turning into an argument. "Let's get going home to help your Mom make dinner."

Both girls smiled and answered in unison. "OK!"

The trio headed back through the trees towards the village. As they passed through the village, the villagers waved greetings as they passed.

When they came to the shrine the two girls ran ahead entering the house just past. Inuyasha could hear the giggling coming from inside, but he stayed behind next to the shrine gazing inside.

The inside of the shrine was lit up with incenses and small torches.

_Could I truly be living in this time? Is this all real?... No, this is only a wish of the past...A dream. This time, this future, and this family may have once been a possibility, but that was destroyed by Naraku. This future will never be able to come to pass. _

He closed his eyes on the setting sunlight and the village and opened his eyes to the darkness of the night and the glow of the campfire_. _The shadows dancing around the clearing that they slept in.

Miroku was leaning against the tree with his staff resting in front of him. Sango lay with a blanket over her figure next to the campfire using Kirara as a pillow in her larger form along with Shippou. And lastly Kagome lying nearest him bathed in the fires glow illuminating her sleeping figure.

_It was all just a dream... No matter how much I wish for it. That dream is of the past. My future lies here with my friends Miroku, Sango, Kirara, and Shippou. As well as my love, Kagome. My future would not be with Kikyo, but Kagome. _


End file.
